The 2024 World Seagrass Conference (WSC2024) and the 15th International Seagrass Biology Workshop (ISBW15) are set to bring together leading scientists, researchers, and environmental advocates in Napoli, Italy, from June 17th to June 21st, 2024. Among the distinguished attendees will be ARTEMIS’s partners and experts, joining forces with MEDSEA, HCMR, and ISPRA to address the pressing issues surrounding seagrass ecosystems in the Anthropocene, along with the urgent need for restoration.
The theme of this year’s World Seagrass conference and workshop, “Seagrasses in the Anthropocene” highlights the critical state of seagrass ecosystems under accelerating human pressure. Environmental changes are driving these vital ecosystems into unprecedented configurations, making a return to their previous states increasingly unfeasible. The global challenge now is to establish a new baseline for protecting, restoring, and rehabilitating existing seagrass resources.
Key questions to be explored include: To what extent are species resilient to environmental changes? What are the mechanisms behind this resilience? What strategies can we implement to ensure seagrass sustainability? Which methodologies can we apply or further develop to maintain functional meadows? How can we effectively integrate socio-economic, cultural, and management approaches with basic science?
The World Seagrass Conference, WSC2024 and ISBW15 will address these questions through three main themes:
- Seagrass Responses to Environmental Change: Understanding how seagrass species adapt and respond to changing environmental conditions.
- Seagrass Community Diversity and Species Interactions: Investigating the diversity within seagrass communities and the interactions between different species.
- Seagrass Conservation, Management, and Citizen Science: Developing and promoting strategies for the conservation and management of seagrass ecosystems, including the engagement of citizen scientists.
For more info: ISBW15 Official Site
This event is of vital importance in helping us develop an effective strategy, especially during this initial kick-off phase of ARTEMIS activities. The collective expertise and collaboration of ARTEMIS’s partners and experts, including MEDSEA, HCMR, and ISPRA, are essential to address these global challenges with a scientifically-grounded approach.
ARTEMIS aims to:
- Integrate societal and monetary values of seagrass ecosystem services (ES) into technical restoration protocols, financial models, and relevant policies;
- Deploy innovative Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes targeting multiple ecosystem services;
- Establish transnational cooperation for sharing best practices and scaling seagrass restoration efforts across the Mediterranean region;
- Enhance the protection, restoration, and valorization of natural environments and heritage through knowledge exchange and capacity building.
